Importantly, the levels of cleaved fragments were in direct association with the levels of apoptosis in primary CLL cells, suggesting that smac066-induced apoptosis is a direct outcome of conversion of pro-caspases into active caspases (Figure 3K-3M; r2= 0.8 for caspase-8 (n=8), caspase-9 (n=8), and caspase-3 (n=6)). This evidence concerns the gene CASP9 and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.